Sell From Home Tip No. 1

No one is really sure what things will look like when the world starts spinning again. For example, will salespeople work from home or head back to the office? For some of us — myself included — the coronavirus crisis has changed very little of my work life. I still work from home, just as I have for more than 30 years. But that’s not the case for everyone and if you are facing the very real possibility that what seems like a temporary home assignment will go permanent once the crisis is over, I thought I would throw in the occasional tip on how to make it work.

This first suggestion is simple but effective.

For years, I found myself going right from the bed to the office, stopping only to grab a cup of coffee in the morning. This was typically not a problem but in this age of Zoom meetings, I doubt I could get away with it like I once did. The problem is, I love my job. I can’t wait to get going in the morning and, as a result, I got into the bad habit of skipping over the personal hygiene and healthy eating portion of my day.

Here’s what I did …

An effective day of selling from home is more than just making the calls. There is great value to a well-rounded agenda that includes not just work, but house chores, believe it or not. I often found myself satisfied from the point of view that I made a bunch of sales calls but unhappy because of the amount of work every home needs that was piling up and waiting for the weekend. And then, if it rained on one of those two days, I was even more frustrated.

Pick a reasonable start time, let’s say 8 a.m. Then, set an alarm on your cell phone for five minutes before that (or, if you like, 10 minutes) indicating you need to head to your desk.

Second, make a commitment that no work gets done until 8 a.m.

Between the time you wake up and the start time you selected, you are free to bathe, eat, exercise, pray, meditate, or spread mulch in the gardens. Whatever makes you happy … and that’s just it, it will. When your day ends, you will have the satisfaction of your selling efforts but also the joy that comes from having taken care of a house task or two, leaving more time on the weekend.

It’s a silly tip, but one that bears unexpected benefits.

My next “Sell From Home” tip will talk about how to keep those pesky family members away so you can work.

I coach sales reps weekly on how to grow their sales. Go to BillFarquharson.com and click on the “Training” link in the header for more information or to contact me and discuss your sales challenges.